Brittney met at a singles ward, each after serving a full time LDS mission. Meeting with them for the first time was such a treat. The photographer was a close friend and had a great eye for detail. Jimmy arrived early so it was my job to stow him away so he couldn’t see Brittney as she arrived in her stunning wedding gown. On a beautiful spring afternoon, Jimmy waited anxiously while his Bride came closed the gap between he and her. They held hands for just a moment, still with his eyes closed, they flirted back and forth as can be heard in their video. “Hey good lookin’ ” she can be heard saying. It must be painful to have to stand there in complete darkness, waiting for your beautiful bride to be revealed. Finally, when the time was right, he was able to open his eyes and behold the Bride that he will soon be sealed to for Time and All Eternity. We did spend a short time at the Temple afterward to capture some amazing moments there. I truly love shooting first look videos, if you are getting, or you know someone who is, I would love to be their wedding videographer!

This time of year, I am typically photographing a lot of weddings. Lately I have been doing bridals and engagements like crazy! I am typically pretty busy with wedding videos and editing photos to get much into graduation pictures, but this year I have one person close to me who is graduating, and it was time to finally get his graduation photo shoot done.

When my dad was younger, he did a fair amount of modeling, he made sure everyone knew that he wasn’t always the brash big guy that everyone knew him to be. Sadly when he died 2 years ago, the legacy of modeling was dead, or so we thought! My brother Adam pictured below is the one graduating this year, and I couldn’t be more proud to have him living in my home. My home life wasn’t the best growing up, we never really had much. Most of our clothes came from the neighbors it seemed, we never had enough of what we needed, let alone anything up and above that.

My dad remarried late and had 5 more kids with my wonderful step-mother. The life of “never enough” didn’t change.

As I got older, into my late teens, I took it upon myself to give to my younger siblings, things that my dad couldn’t. I would take Christmas to them in Ephraim so the kids wouldn’t go without, I would kidnap the kids one or 2 at a time and bring them up to the Big City of Salt Lake to spend a weekend with me, experiencing all that life had to offer. As I got married and started having a family, we spent more and more time visiting with my younger siblings and bringing them up to visit us. Little did we know, we were preparing ourselves, and them for what was to come, when dad died in 2016.

Adam, now 18 is getting ready to move on with his life and go out into this world a man. He has been dragged through some pretty ugly stuff, and he’s come out ahead, a better person because of it. He is an inspiration to me and many who come in contact with him. As I edited the pictures from his shoot, it took me by surprise how much he looks like my dad, in all those modeling pictures he used to make sure we all knew about. Here is my amazing brother, getting ready to take on the world.

It was so much fun picking the most random locations to shoot at downtown Salt Lake City, we drove all over. At one point we ran into some police, who thought we were doing a drug deal in a dark alley.

I wanted something more interesting, urban feeling, almost like the streets of New York City. I think we pulled it off, what do you think?!

It was such a treat to work with such a loving and caring family on Saturday as Allison and Kealii were married in the quaint White Memorial Chapel, which is situated directly across the street from the Utah State Capitol. Trolleys used to be a widely used form of transportation in many areas of the country, Utah was no stranger to them, that was until other forms of transportation made Trolleys all but obsolete. In a unique twist in transportation options, Allison and her wedding party, minus the Groom and his Groomsmen were delivered to the venue in style, by none other than one of Utah’s Trolleys.

The Pastor spoke great words of wisdom to the couple as though he had known them for their lifetime. It was such a beautiful ceremony, in one of Utah’s historic Chapels that was once used by the LDS church, but has been repurposed to be available to the general public as a nondenominational Wedding Chapel.

Immediately following the Ceremony, the couple was welcomed with open arms by two huge families, uniting two lineages into one.

Just as the Ceremony was nothing short of perfect, their reception had everything from a vintage VW Bus Photo Booth to a tasty hand-crafted dinner. The couple enjoyed their time with family and friends, and the dance floor was certainly hopping. Congratulations to Allison and Kealii on your wedding. Here is the teaser video, more to come! If you need a videographer for your own wedding, reach out to me anytime!

The White Memorial Chapel was first built in 1883, and it was originally located on A Street and 2nd Avenue. It was home to the 18th ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In 1973, the chapel was carefully disassembled to ensure elements could be reused. In 1976, the chapel was rebuilt on land donated by the Utah State Legislature in celebration of the nation’s 200th birthday, using the chapel’s original steeple, Gothic windows, doors, and benches. The LDS Sunday School program was launched at this location, and it served as the founding location for the first Boy Scout troop in Utah. The building is now a non-denominational chapel used for civic purposes.

Architecture

The White Chapel is an excellent example of Utah’s early religious architecture. Architect Obed Taylor (who also designed the Assembly Hall at Temple Square) was inspired by Gothic architecture, as demonstrated by the buttresses, tall steeple, Gothic windows, and inclined roof.

This is a question that many couples have and I’d love to give a few reasons you NEED a Wedding Film!

MOVEMENT IS EMOTIONAL

I love photography and appreciate photos so much, but there is something about capturing the movement of real life that has an emotional depth that is so different than a still frame. I remember even watching back home videos, versus going through a photo album. Seeing how I interacted with the world, or how my friends and family interacted with each other was so emotional I felt like I was reliving it.

YOUR PHOTOS DON’T TALK

One of the biggest differences between a still photo and video is the audio. Being able to hear your vows, the speeches your family and friends gave or even just fun chatter during the day is something that will add a new dynamic to looking back on your wedding day.

MEMORIES FADE

Whether we like to admit it or not, our memories do fade. I wish I could remember all the fun experiences or amazing moments of my life, but as much as I wish I could, they get more fuzzy over time. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your entire life and it is one you’ll want to have captured so that when your memory fades, it can be refreshed when you sit down and watch your film.

These are just a few reasons I believe you should have a wedding film. I am obviously very passionate about films and have always been, but it really is the best way to preserve a memory forever!

Danielle and Ryan met a long, long, long time ago. They’ve been the best of friends for almost as long as either of them can remember. Danielle has a track record for not always choosing the best of men, but when Ryan visited the family for the first time, it was obvious that this time she had a keeper. Outwardly, Ryan is pretty hip and seemingly modern, but when it came to asking for Danielle’s hand he did it the old fashioned way. Ryan called and asked to take Danielle’s dad to lunch. “This must be something serious” he thought, and to his amazement, Ryan in fact asked for her hand in marriage. The only words that could escape dad’s lips, “it’s about time”. With some modern wisdom, and an old fashioned sense of decency, Ryan made an impression on her family. Every person who spoke of Ryan reiterated how they knew he was going to be a huge part of their family from the very first day.

They were united in Marriage by none other than one of Ryan’s best friends, in a beautiful ceremony in Salt Lake City. The food was delectable, the company was ecstatic, and the music carried the mood late into the night as family and friends danced the night away. Here are just a few wedding photos that I gathered along the way.

Kathryn and Aaron had been friends long before they decided to tie the knot. Both the Bride and the Groom come from intensely loving family, you could feel the love in the room, as Kathryn’s sister put it, it was “tangible”. Their friends came from near and far off places, to witness the joining of two amazing people, and two amazing families. Aaron’s Brother had some great words of wisdom from motivational speakers such as Winnie the Pooh, and the Power Rangers. The wedding was supposed to have been held outside, but with snow in the forecast they opted to marry inside where they could warm themselves by the fire afterward. The snow didn’t stop the couple from letting the photographer and myself to shoot some pictures and video outside in the snow immediately following the beautiful ceremony. Here is a quick teaser video, enjoy!

I have shot so many First Looks over the years of being a Videographer, but I don’t always get this sort of reaction. It just so happened that the Groom had a microphone on him for the Ceremony. The Bride and Groom finished getting ready, each then taking a few minutes to read a letter written by the other. Trent was in tears, it was beautiful. This is his reaction to seeing his Bride for the first time in her wedding dress.

Dan and Seila (pronounced Shay-La) met through some mutual friends, for him it was love at first sight, for her it took some time. Seila served her LDS mission with one of Dan’s friends. When they returned home after 18 months, the friend decided to set Dan and Seila up on a blind date. They enjoyed each others’ company, but she wasn’t quite ready to jump into a relationship, she turned him down twice when he asked her to go steady. After getting to know Dan a little better, she couldn’t resist his kind nature and unmatched wit.

The proposal was amazing, and it went off without a hitch! Dan, along with lots of help from some amazing friends, on his birthday, popped the question. His group of friends were holding a “surprise” birthday party for him at the Park, she was his transportation to the park where his friends were waiting. Little did she know, when he ran across the park for a “bathroom break” he was running ahead of her to the already decorated pavilion where the proposal would all go down.

Family and friends waited eagerly nearby for a celebration after the big question, and hopeful YES answer. The day was beautiful, the timing was just right, and with everyone pulling together it was a pretty cool proposal. Take a look at their video!

Shannon met out of chance, and traveled the globe in search for adventure. Having known each other since elementary school, they had known each other almost all of their lives. From the moment Will met Shannon, he was smitten. He told her early on that he would marry her one day, and like Will does, he honored that promise. The adventures they started so many years ago, has blossomed into something out of a fairy tale, or even National Geographic. I am honored to introduce the official Teaser for Shannon and Will. The teaser is just a precursor of what is to come, stay tuned!